Unveiling Serenity Amidst the Urban Hustle: A Photographer's Quest for Quiet Moments
Oli Kellett skillfully captures the essence of tranquility amidst bustling urban landscapes His remarkable photography series focuses on one ordinary yet captivating aspect of city life: people patiently waiting at crosswalks
British photographer Oli Kellett has traveled from New York to Rio de Janeiro, focusing on a seemingly mundane element of urban life: crosswalks. Through his lens, these ordinary parts of the city are transformed into cinematic scenes, with people waiting to cross appearing in moments of quiet amidst the usual city chaos.
Kellett explains his interest in stillness and contemplation, stating, "I'm interested in the idea of stillness and contemplation." His solo exhibit, "Waiting for a Sign," is currently on display at the London gallery HackelBury Fine Art. The exhibit features large-scale pictures from his "Cross Road Blues" series, which captures people at intersections in moments of decision and contemplation. Kellett sees these decisions as symbolic of the larger life choices that we all must make.
Oli Kellett's show "Waiting For A Sign" has just opened at London's HackelBury Fine Art.
Oli Kellett captures a street cleaner standing alone in a narrow sliver of sunlight, gazing upwards at something out of shot while crossing an unusually empty major road in Boston. In another photo, a diverse group of people are caught in the dappled bright light reflected off a building in Chicago, each person looking in different directions and contemplating their next move.
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Kellett's exhibition is paired with his debut monograph, "Cross Road Blues," featuring a curated collection of the series from beginning to end. The concept originated unexpectedly in Los Angeles in 2016. "I wanted to create art that expressed my thoughts on the 2016 election," Kellett stated. He chose to photograph Hope Street in Downtown LA to capture a moment of the political atmosphere, with the street selection being a nod to Shepard Fairey's iconic "Hope" poster of Barack Obama.
Most of Kellett's images were shot in cities across America, often at sunrise or sunset.
Oli Kellett envisioned creating a politically-charged portrait of a street, but the project took a different turn. However, he managed to capture a powerful image of a woman bathed in golden sunlight while waiting to cross the road. Kellett initially thought this represented a political crossroads, but as he expanded the project to include more people at crosswalks across the country, he realized that it was more about individuals than politics.
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The majority of the images in the "Cross Road Blues" collection were captured in urban areas across the US, including Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago, and Seattle. The grid street layouts provided opportunities for crosswalk photos, while the downtown architecture served as a unique backdrop, showcasing the individuals in the photographs against the urban, often nondescript, grey setting. Photographer Kellett noted that some locations, such as New Orleans, felt too idyllic and romantic, and those images did not make the final collection. "It was almost too beautiful," Kellett remarked.
Despite the cinematic quality of his images, Kellett insists not a single photograph was staged.
Oli Kellett
Although the settings require a certain generic urban quality, the pictures are far from lacking in beauty. Light is a key element, with dramatic rays of sunshine, especially during sunrise, sunset, or reflecting off buildings, illuminating the subjects of his images in perfectly composed ways.
The scenes give the impression of being meticulously planned, as if on a movie set. However, Kellett insists that not a single photo is staged. He captures his images by wandering through selected cities, seeking out the perfect street corner, often a few blocks away from the bustling thoroughfares, and waiting for the ideal lighting and peaceful atmosphere, with someone waiting to cross in a way that is visually striking. "All these pictures are the result of chance," he explained.
The series came to a conclusion in Rio de Janeiro, where Kellett happened upon a man frozen in a pose reminiscent of John the Baptist, with his finger pointed towards the sky. "I knew this was the end of the project," Kellett remarked.
The series idea sprung from Kellett's desire to capture images which conveyed a sense of the political crossroads in America in 2016.
Upon revisiting the pictures, it is evident that the subjects exude a certain likeness to revered figures depicted in historic religious paintings. With a contemplative aura, bathed in golden light, and often staring upwards, they evoke a timeless sense of humanity despite being captured in a modern urban setting.
Kellett is uncertain about what comes next now that the series has ended, but he appears to be embracing the unknown: "It's all about stepping out and not knowing who or what you'll encounter," he said. "Or where life will take you."
